Sir Percy Hits Back · Chapter
Chapter XXIX explained
Chauvelin, torn between his public role as a revolutionary judge and his private desperation to save his daughter Fleurette, writes her a secret letter urging her to trust him and remain silent before the tribunal.
What happens
Chauvelin, torn between his public role as a revolutionary judge and his private desperation to save his daughter Fleurette, writes her a secret letter urging her to trust him and remain silent before the tribunal. He presides over the Revolutionary Tribunal in Orange, where the accused are condemned through formulaic indictments, and he struggles to keep Fleurette's name off the death lists. He observes her in prison, briefly comforted by the condemned Claire de Châtelard, and grows increasingly frantic as the Scarlet Pimpernel's rescue operations pause and his enemies close in.
Themes in this chapter
Revolutionary Tyranny and Injustice
The tribunal's formulaic accusations, the impossibility of defense, and the execution of Danton for moderation illustrate the oppressive and arbitrary nature of revolutionary justice.
Family and Paternal Love
Chauvelin's secret letter, his anguish over Fleurette's imprisonment, and his desperate schemes to save her reveal a father's love conflicting with his public role.
Innocence and Corruption
Fleurette's innocence is contrasted with the corrupt tribunal system and the morally compromised figures like Claire de Châtelard, yet even the 'strumpet' shows bravery.
Characters to notice
- Citizen Chauvelin
Writes a secret letter to Fleurette, presides over the tribunal, and agonizes over her fate while trying to keep her name off the execution lists.
- Fleurette
Imprisoned in Architect Caristie's house, seen briefly at the window, and comforts Claire de Châtelard before her execution.
- Claire de Châtelard
A fellow prisoner who comforts Fleurette; she is executed by guillotine after a defiant final appearance.
- Pochart
One of Chauvelin's enemies on the watch, pressing him by sending Fleurette's name for indictment.
- Danou
Alongside Pochart, a foe who pressures Chauvelin by submitting Fleurette's name for the tribunal.
- Public Prosecutor Isnard
Mentioned as a tool of Chauvelin, currently away in Paris but expected to return.
Key passages
“My beloved one, at last I am able to send a word to you, which I hope and trust will reach your darling little hands. Child of my heart, this is to entreat you to continue in your trust of me, for I swear to you by the memory of your dead mother, that while you trust me I can save you.”
Chauvelin writes to Fleurette, begging her to trust him and promising he can save both her and Amédé if she remains silent.
Highlights Chauvelin's paternal desperation and his reliance on Fleurette's cooperation for her rescue.
“He has a printed formula of accusation, with just the name left in blank, presently to be filled in as convenience arises.”
The Public Prosecutor uses pre-printed accusation forms where only the defendant's name is added later, showing the impersonal and predetermined nature of the trials.
Illustrates the dehumanizing machinery of the Revolutionary Tribunal.
“Danton—aye! even Danton, the lion, has perished, he who ordered the September massacres, he who thundered forth from the tribune, 'Liberty! Fraternity! Equality! or Death!' he has perished because he became guilty of this crime of moderation.”
Even the powerful revolutionary Danton was executed for advocating moderation, underscoring the extreme intolerance of the regime.
Contextualizes the danger Chauvelin faces in trying to protect Fleurette.
